http://blog.ediacara.org/rust en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://blog.ediacara.org/rust/nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://blog.ediacara.org/rust http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=32
Louis Menand, "Breaking Away", The New Yorker, March 27,2006]]> General http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=32 Wed, 24 May 2006 07:47:12 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=28 Mezbaan, an Indian restaurant on Victoria Park just north of York Mills. Elias knows the guy who runs it via family connections in Tejas.

Dinner tonight was:
- butter chicken (omg)
- rice
- lamb ghosh (?) (no bones, please?)
- delicious naan
- channa (chickpeas in some sauce - so good...)

God I am stuffed. All I had prior to that today was a protein bar, water and a couple of coffees.

Then I went to the Second Cup and tried to read Larry's new biochem textbook (he gave me a copy!) but I faded after beta-oxidation.

--R.
]]> General http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=28 Wed, 10 May 2006 21:38:20 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=30 Massey Hall

Placeholder post to nag me to write a review of the Arlo Guthrie concert I saw.... =D

Played for about 2.5 hours, including a 15 minute break and a 30 minute version of Alice's Restaurant...

--R.
]]> concerts http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=30 Tue, 9 May 2006 22:35:00 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=27
Also I need to write more, but lately I've been spending all my time either working, working out, or reading. Not even playing EverQuest much, but when I do I'm trying to reconnect with guildies - I don't spend enough time contributing to the guild as I used to in the past and I don't know most of the guild any more. The only two people left in the guild from when I joined are Grimwalker and Durok, and Grim was away for a long time (he's back now!).

I'll have to write something about EQ... which would involve explaining where I get 'Rust' from... which goes back to JediMUD in 1992 or so... ok, added to my agenda.

Working out has been good too - in part because I want to actually be able to throw a baseball to first base, and to hit balls for more than a dribbly single through the infield... and in part because being overweight and out of shape certainly hasn't done me any favours for dating, so maybe losing some weight and toning up will help. Plus I've had to start eating a lot better (and a lot less).

I am lucky to have had some people I know from the local coffee shop offering me hints and tips. The fact that one of them is:
- pretty much the nicest person I know, period;
- smart, funny and a very patient listener (this is important!);
- absolutely drop-dead pretty,
certainly helps. They've *all* been quite kind, I must say, considering how unclued I am in the gym environment generally...

Another to-do post is explaining my workout habits, I guess.

More later.

--R.
]]> General http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=27 Mon, 8 May 2006 17:23:00 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=29
Should be a *bit* zippier now.

--R.
]]> General http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=29 Thu, 4 May 2006 19:32:00 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=26
So the money flows in! Not.

It's now a week or more since I got all my details, and it turns out that the recruiter at the agency [hereafter, RecruitCorp] that is pimping me... left the agency. So I get an email from a RecruitCorp VP named Mark informing me of this. Turns out they've lost any paperwork I sent in for timesheets, and the fact that the ex-recruiter agreed to cover my parking (around $20 per day in downtown) may also be a goner.

So I emailed my contact at RecruiterCorp and asked 'so... paperwork okay now... status please' and got back 'I think it's in the mail'.

So at the advanced age of 38 I have finally heard one of the Great Lies.

[below] -- On March 8th, I got a call from the recruiter asking if I was still on the market. Since I'd been 'on the market since November 11th (thanks Kumquat for picking such a memorable date...) I said yes, and was told to show up at 9am on Friday March 10 for a job interview.

Except it turns out the client wasn't interested in interviewing me, they wanted me to START on Friday. We had to leave shortly after showing up (I had other things I was committed to do that day) but they agreed we had 'started' on Friday... so I was paid for 8 hours for showing up at a job interview. I did spend several hours on the weekend reading stuff they sent me, so it adds up.

peace

--R.
]]> General http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=26 Thu, 20 Apr 2006 14:00:23 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=24
So in March I got a call to ask if I was interested in a short-term contract (3 months) as a contract UNIX sysadmin. For those of you who don't know, if you contract, you get a few dollars an hour more if you incorporate, since the agency pimping you does a pass-through on the money, no serious paperwork.

So I had to incorporate myself. I went as a numbered corporation as the first several ideas I had were taken (Cambrian Consulting etc.). I get to go pick up some paperwork after work today - then I suppose I have to get a bank account, some cheques, and THEN sign a contract with the agency (we're a few weeks in now, and I still haven't been paid, thank G-d for savings...).

So today I became a Corporation. Now I start figuring out how to expense stuff legally so it comes out of corporate income (tax rate is 18% on the first $250K of income for a corporation and a lot of allowable expenses are tax-deducible for companies).

Things I can deduct now:
- cell phone
- parking, mileage to/from work (a measly 6km, hm...)
- part of my rent (my office at home just became my Corporation's Head Office)
- computer h/w, s/w
- part of my utilities, internet access, etc.

So my lousy-record-keeping-self needs to start being meticulous about receipts....

--R.
]]> General http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=24 Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:14:15 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=23
Oops.

--R.
]]> General http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=23 Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:02:30 -0400 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=25 DateArtistVenue Comments/Fly-in-the-OintmentJan ??Blue RodeoMassey Hall2nd row seats, Jim side!March 3rdBlind Boys of AlabamaMassey HallI totally forgot about this concert.March 11Billy BraggOpera HouseThe Incredible HulkMarch 22Dream TheaterMassey HallSo apparently I like Prog Metal...April 15Tony LevinRochester NYMay 9thArlo GuthrieMassey Hall
]]> concerts http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=25 Sat, 1 Apr 2006 11:33:00 -0500 http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=19 Lee's Palace (Toronto)

Ok, it's only 2 of the original band members, and I was never a fan back in the day, but CHRIST these guys can still put on a show. They played for about 500 people in a fairly-crowded Lee's Palace on a Sunday night and hit the stage around 10pm.... and effing rocked! The show was energetic from the first to last, and they clearly were having a gas playing.

Fly-in-the-Ointment: That Polish guy who shoved his way repeatedly to the stagefront, tried to hand the band beers (Labatt's Blue, omg) and then started shouting at them during a lull where the lead singer was trying to banter with the crowd, provoking a 'Will you shut the feck up?' from him. I don't know what he was on but he was shouting 'Do you like Polish man? I am fan, two years, NAZARETH....' at least that's what it sounded like.

Even the roadies were fun - one of them handed a set list, drumsticks and guitar picks to this short guy standing at the front before the show started, who had a disposable camera and clearly was the #1 Nazareth fan (Polish Lunatics excluded) there that night.

And on the way out, I saw a girl carrying an iguana, inside the club. And I don't smoke.

wow.

--R.
]]> concerts http://blog.ediacara.org/rustindex.php?itemid=19 Thu, 15 Sep 2005 10:15:04 -0400